Tag: China

Air pollution in Beijing, China has exceeded to an extent in which its government issued a red alert. This put things to a halt; schools, factories, and certain roads have all been temporarily closed. Limits have been placed on the number of cars that can drive on roads and all this went into effect this past Tuesday.

China is attempting to cut car use in half by having only odd or even-numbered license plates on the road at a time. Larger vehicles such as garbage trucks, are banned from the streets. Activities such as fireworks and outdoor barbecuing have also been banned because they’re considered to be polluting industrial activities.

The air quality is regarded as poisonous because it is detrimental to one’s health. The city and its 20 million citizens are living in a hazy, thick cloud of smog. The industrial burning of coal is mainly to blame for this toxic air, in fact Chinese cities have some of the world’s unhealthiest air quality.

The temporary shutdown of schools has affected millions of families, on Tuesday an estimated amount of 2 million students had to say home from school. These schools were closed in order to protect students’ health and to reduce the number of cars on the road, however it was an inconvenience to some. Such as Kan Tingting, a manager of a cafe who stayed indoors with her daughter.

“I had to watch my child because there is no kindergarten today. What bothers me the most is that my child may have a negative view of nature.” she told the New York Times.